Friday, November 16, 2012

Anglophile Friday - Highland Cattle

A face only a mother could love...

In my mind's eye, I see these Highland Cattle on a farm owned by Fred Flintstone - with pileated woodpeckers hammering away in the nearby trees.

Highland Cattle. Yes, I'm straying a bit from my typically England post, but there is something so fascinating about Highland Cattle! This past summer when my cousin was visiting, we were on our way to Colfax (in a big hurry, I might add, to get her to a dental appointment on time) and on Hwy M, north of Colfax, we drove past a herd of Highland Cattle. I SO wanted to get a photo of them. Since I didn't have time to stop and take the photo at that time, and even if I had tried on the way back, the sun would have been on the wrong side...I went at a later time to get the photos.

Aren't they gorgeous creatures! (in a strange sort of way).

Here's lookin' at you, kid!

From Wikipedia.org:

'Highlands are known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of their
native Scottish Highlands, with high rainfall and strong winds. Highland
cattle have been successfully established in many temperate countries and indeed in countries where winters are substantially
colder than Scotland's such as central Europe and Canada.

Their hair
provides protection during the cold winters and their skill in browsing
for food enables them to survive in steep mountain areas. They both
graze and browse and eat plants which many other cattle avoid. The meat
tends to be leaner than most beef because Highlands get most of their
insulation from their thick shaggy hair rather than subcutaneous fat.
The coat makes them a good breed for cold northern climates and they are
able to thrive in outdoor conditions that would defeat most other
breeds of domestic beef cattle. As such, Highland cattle are able to
produce beef at a reasonable gross margin from inhospitable land that
would otherwise normally be incapable of rendering a profit
agriculturally.

Whilst the UK domestic and worldwide popularity of
Highland cattle has made trade in pedigree beasts occasionally the most
lucrative - mainly on account of their handsome appearance - they are at
their best agriculturally when used to produce beef in a cold climate
from poor pasture and forage.' Read More...

I've always been fascinated with Highland Cattle. We saw some in Dorstone, UK, but the photo I got then was from a long distance and the day was an English foggy, so I was thrilled to come upon this herd and have the opportunity to take their photo. So nice of them to pose for me! :-)

i would soooo love to see one of these guys or a whole herd of them. fantastic shots of these amazing and beautiful and very kissable cattle. and the way they look is why i rarely eat meat. sign me cow lover.

Such great pics! Yes, I think they are beautiful creatures. Something about cattle in general feels comforting... and then you add all that hair. Instead of the Flintstones, I picture one lying down and a little boy lying there with his head on the furry belly reading a book. Don't know where that came from. ???

It is great to spot one in the wilds of Scotland but so often it seems out of place to see one being reared for example in North Yorkshire. I thought it was my lucky day in September last year but it was too far away for a decent photo & my walking companions didn't share my enthusiasm by waiting & coaxing it nearer the fence.

Another lesser known breed of cattle popular elsewhere is the black and white Belted Galloway, I saw one of these recently as a passenger in a moving car somewhere around South Yorkshire / North Derbyshire.

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